Pebble Press January 2017 Page 1

Next Executive Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 7:00 PM

NOTICE BOARD

Richmond Gem and Mineral Society’s

PEBBLE PRESS For January 2017

NEXT GENERAL MEETING Tuesday, January 24, 2017

6:45 pm start

PROGRAM

Turquoise

SHOW & TELL

Turquoise Stones / Jewellery

FOR THE REFRESHMENT TABLE

If your last name starts with the following letter, then it is your turn to bring a finger food or other type of snack for the refresh-ment table:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K

If possible, please bring your own cup to drink from.

Workshop Calendar January to June 2017

“Phenomena in Gemstones” Our Annual Show

April 29 & 30, 2017

Time for us to get ready for the big show! Lisa would like us to have a better display of our work and what we collect. To add a little extra to our displays, Lisa would like us to concentrate on lapidary materials that have light and colour effects, which are caused by reflection, interference, and refraction. A display of this type of materials can be both educational and spectacular.

The goal is to have several showcases highlighting the “Phenomenal Gemstones” and the remaining showcases high-lighting the other work of our members. If you would like to display your work or collection, then you can have your own showcase or share a showcase with others.

(Continued on page 3)

DAY TIME ALLOWED ACTIVITIES

Monday 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Open Workshop

Tuesday 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Open Workshop

Thursday 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Open Workshop

Saturday 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Open Workshop

1st & 2nd Sundays

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Open Workshop (Except when classes are scheduled)

The Lapidary Studio will also be Closed on the Following Days:

Saturday, February 11, Children’s Art Festival Sunday, February 12, Children’s Art Festival Monday, February 13, Children’s Art Festival Tuesday, February 14, Children’s Art Festival Thursday, February 16, Children’s Art Festival Monday, March 13, Spring Break Tuesday, March 14, Spring Break Thursday, March 16, Spring Break Monday, March 20, Spring Break Tuesday, March 21, Spring Break Thursday, March 23, Spring Break Monday, April 17, Easter Monday Monday, May 22, Victoria Day Monday, June 26, Cleaning Week Tuesday, June 27, Cleaning Week Thursday, June 29, Cleaning Week Saturday, July 1, Canada Week

Please Note: February’s Regular Meeting will be held on the third

Tuesday of the month.

Pebble Press January 2017 Page 2

General Meeting

Month

Executive Meeting

Tuesday the 20th December Tuesday the 13th. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 24th January Tuesday the 17th. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 21th February To be announced

Tuesday the 28th March Tuesday the 21st. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 25th April Tuesday the 18th. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 23rd May Tuesday the 16th. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 27th June Tuesday the 20th. 7:00 pm

No Meeting July No Meeting

Tuesday the 22nd August Tuesday the 15th. 7:00 pm

FUTURE MEETING PLANNER 2017

Executive Positions 2016-2017

President Anthony Young

Vice-President Adam Kelliher

Secretary To be filled

Treasurer George Howe

Program Chairperson Sunny Yuen

Show Chairperson Lisa Kew

Workshop Chairperson To be confirmed

Ways & Means Chairperson Linda Boyce

Field Trip Chairperson Harley Waterson

Publicity Chairperson Natalie Helmstetter

Librarian Joan Turrell

Pebble Press Editor Eugenia Kurganska

Social Convenor Karen Yurkovich

Membership Chairperson Darlene Howe

Senior Delegate Darlene Howe

Past President David Bell

Non-Executive Positions

Contact at Large Darlene Howe

Intermediate Delegate Arn Hamelin

Junior Delegate Linda Grueber

Workshop Assistants George Howe Tom Braund

Membership Assistant Dorreh Jahanshahi

Ways & Means Assistant Joan Turrell

Membership News

Darlene Howe Thanks to all of our members who have renewed their membership for the 2016-2017 year. For membership renewal or for new membership please contact me at: darhowe1@gmail.com or 604-274-4893 Enjoy the New Year!

10 Gemstone Fun Facts!

1. Garnet was named after the seeds of a pomegranate. 2. Amber is the softest gemstone; diamond is the hardest. 3. The largest diamond found in the United States, to date, is known as the

Uncle Sam Diamond. 4. It takes anywhere from one to three years to grow a cultured pearl. 5. The Queen of England's jewelry collection is worth an estimated $57 mil-

lion dollars. 6. In the Middle Ages, women would wear Opals to protect the color of their

blonde hair. 7. Peridot was Cleopatra's favorite gemstone. 8. After millions upon millions of years, it is assumed that the Sun

will become one large diamond-star! 9. The Heart of the Ocean, from James Cameron's "Titanic" was not com-

pletely fictitious - it is believed that a rather large sapphire went down with Titanic on that fateful night.

10. One of the largest sapphires is known as the Star of Asia, which is current-ly housed at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Pebble Press January 2017 Page 3

Minutes of the December, 2016 Regular Meeting

Tonight was the Christmas Social and the business portion of the meeting was cancelled so that the emphasis would be on social interaction and having a good time.

RICHMOND GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY Minutes of the Regular Meeting

held on Tuesday, December, 2016 If you have rough, cabochons, specimens, or finished products that are “Phenomenal Gemstones”, then, if possible, please lend them to the club to display at the show.

Examples of “Phenomenal Gemstones” are:

Moonstone (adularescence);

Ruby, Sapphire, Rose Quartz, Synthetic gems (Asterism)

Aventurine Feldspar, Aventurine Quartz, (Aventurescence)

Chrysoberyl, Quartz cat-eye, hawk-eye, tiger-eye, Pieter-site, Seraphinite, Charoite (chatoyancy)

Fire Agate, Ammolite, Pearls, Mother of Pearl(Iridescence)

Labradorite (Labradorescense)

Common Opal (Opalescence)

Opal (Play-of-colour)

Alexandrite, Colour change Tourmaline (Colour change)

“Phenomenal Gemstone Contest”

Start preparing for our Phenomena in Gemstones Lapidary Contest. Contestants will need to register to participate in the contest and registration forms will be available at the workshop beginning in the new year. Lisa would like all the entries to be displayed at this year’s annual show along with other members’ collections or individual items.

Vendor’s Tables

Tables are still available for this year’s show.

For Additional Information

Contact: Lisa Kew at lisa@fireboycreative.com

(Continued from page 1)

BC Rockhounder Magazine Editor Requests The Following

Good morning! I hope this finds you and your members well. I am reaching out to ask for contributions/submissions for the Spring issue of the magazine. We are putting together a new Gallery feature, set to contain high rez photos from clubs around the province, and I would like to ask all clubs to select a few of their best photos from activities of their choosing for inclusion – please ensure the photo’s are at least 300dpi. I would also like to ask clubs to send in a list of their planned activities so that I can be sure that the list printed in the magazine is both accurate and as up to date as possible. In addition, I am also looking to hear more from voices around the province – reviews of activities (exploration, sales, lapidary works, presentations) of all kinds as well as opinion pieces on the current state of the forests/access to rock, the hobby in gen-eral, education or any other field that may strike you/your mem-bers as important. Please consider submitting. I very much would like ALL clubs to be represented in the magazine, but cannot travel to visit you individually – perhaps you can share a short piece with a few photos talking about the history of your club? Personally I would love to see every clubs’ story told in that print in that manner. Greg GW Carson BC Rockhounder Magazine

Pebble Press January 2017 Page 4

British Columbia Lapidary Society’s Wagonmasters’ Fieldtrips

Wagonmasters' Field Trips 2017

Most of the trips are rain or shine. Trips are typically 2-3 hours of collecting; you are welcome to continue hunting. Food, it would be good to bring some snacks such as granola bars, sandwich, water, hot beverages on cold days. Layered clothing, bring rain wear in case it starts to rain & hat to avoid sun stroke. Hiking boots with ankle support are recommended, do not wear street shoes, runners, and other soft shoes without ankle support or tread for walking on slippery rocks. Don't forget insect repellent, and sunscreen.

ALWAYS: arrive well in advance of time with ve-hicles fueled full.

Annual Rock & Gem Shows 2016 For details go to www.bclapidary.com

February 25 & 26, 2017 Saturday 11:00am - 5:00pm Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm

MAPLE RIDGE LAPI-DARY CLUB Pitt Meadows Heritage Hall 12460 Harris Road, Pitt Meadows, BC Demostrations, vendors: stones, tools & supplies. Live auctions, Kids craft-er, snack bar and enroll in a class or two.

March 11 & 12, 2017 Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm

ALBERNI ROCK & GEM CLUB Cherry Creek Community Hall 3720 Highmoor Road, Port Alberni, BC

March 11 & 12, 2017 Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm Sunday 10:00am - 5:00pm

HASTINGS CENTRE ROCKHOUNDS Hastings Community Centre 3096 E Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC

March 17, 18 & 19, 2017 Friday 12:30pm - 8:30pm Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm

VICTORIA LAPIDARY & MINERAL SOCIETY Leonar-do de Vinci Centre 195 Bay Street, Victoria, BC

Upcoming Trips

Agate, Jasper, River Rock February 12, 2017, Sunday - 9:00 a.m. Jesperson Bar Vehicle: car with high clearance Tools: rock hammer, chisels, carrying container for specimens. Meeting Place: Rosedale Traditional School, 50850 Yale Road, Rosedale, BC Wagonmaster: Trevor Christie, email: bcrockhunter@yahoo.ca

Gold March 12, 2017, Sunday - 10:00 a.m. Yale Vehicle: car Tools: gold pan, shovel, sniffer bottle or sniffer tweezer, vial with lid, bucket. Meeting Place: Barry's Trading Post, 31160 Mary Street, Yale, BC Wagonmaster: Trevor Christie, email: bcrockhunter@yahoo.ca

BC Gem Show April 7, 8 & 9, 2017

60 Years - Diamond Jubilee

Pebble Press January 2017 Page 5

Precious Gems and stones are fascinating. Theirs is a world of endless mysteries. Precious gemstones have intrigued people across the world ever since man has known them. Not only are they prized for their beauty, rarity and durability, each gem has a distinct innate power, that human beings have harnessed for their good ever since Vedic texts revealed of their mystical pow-ers. Besides this, there are several gemstones that have the key of their magnetic appeal in the distinct visual appearance or be-cause of their optical properties. The gems and stones displaying various optical phenomenon are termed as "phenomenal gem-stones". Explained Below are some optical phenomenon found in pre-cious gemstones and semi-precious gemstones.

Types of Optical Phenomenon’s in Gemstones Adularesence: Adularescence is the phenomenon of blue sheen reflecting on the domed cabochon surface of Moonstone. The phenomenon of shimmer is created by the interaction of light with layer of little “albite” crystals in the moonstones. The quality of blue shimmer is determined by the thickness of layer of these tiny crystals, thinner the layer, better the blue flash. This usually appears as a billowy light effect. Moonstone is ortho-clase feldspars and are also known as Selenite. The Romans called them Astrion.

Metaphysical properties of moonstone include stimulating knowledge, nurturing, mothering, selflessness, sensitivity, hu-manitarian love, problem solving and decision making, emo-tional protection. In terms of physical healing, Moonstone is excellent for female health. It is the alternative gem for natural pearl. Asterism: The gem mater ial that is low on clar ity is often cut as cabochon. In such gems and stones when the light falls on the domed surface and makes star -like rays, the phenomenon is called asterism. There are 4 ray and 6 ray stars observed normal-ly. This happens when the orientation of the needle like inclu-sions or silk within the crystal is on more than one axis. These inclusions are generally a common mineral titanium dioxide or

rutile, as it is known. Asterism is commonly observed in corun-dum - rubies and sapphires. The Black Star of Queensland, the Star of India and the Star of Bombay are some of the world famous sapphires displaying asterism. Of late, synthetic star sapphires are made in the labs using the Verneuil process. Chatoyancy: Chat in French means Cat and chatoyancy re-fers to a phenomenon akin to opening and shutting of cat’s eye. This phenomenon can be seen in Chrysoberyl cat’s eye gem with great clarity. Cat eye gems have a single sharp band (sometimes two or three bands )running across the domed cabo-chon surface. The Chrysoberyl Cat’s eye gem is very specifical-ly cut en cabochon to highlight chatoyancy. The rutile silk in this case is aligned perpendicular to the crystal. So when light falls on it, the sharp band can be seen. In the best cases, the cha-toyant Chrysoberyl cats eye visually separates the surface into two halves creating the milk and honey effect as the stone is moved under light. Cat’s eye is the gemstone that carries the planetary energy of Ketu and is used in gem therapy to harness its energy.

THE PHENOMENAL PROPERTIES OF GEMS

Pebble Press January 2017 Page 6

THE PHENOMENAL PROPERTIES OF GEMS (continued)

Iridescence: Ir idescence is also known as goniochromism, a phenomenon where the surface of a material displays several colors as the angle of viewing changes. It can be easily seen in neck of a pigeon, soap bubbles, wings of a butterfly, mother of pearl etc The irregularity of surface and large interstitial spaces allow light to pass and reflect back from multiple surfaces (diffraction) causing the multi color visual effect. Combined with interfer-ence, the result is dramatic. Natural pearls display iridescence that is very different from its body colour. Tahitian pearls dis-play great iridescence.

Play of colour: The wonder ful gem called opal displays a beautiful color. The fire opals from Lightening Ridge, Austral-

ia (showing shifting patches of luminous spectral colors against black) are famous for this phenomenon. While this phenomenon- play of color is a type of iridescence, it is wrongly called fire. Fire is actually a term used for the brilliant flashes of color in a diamond which is caused by dispersion of light. In case of opals it isn’t dispersion and hence cannot be called fire.

Color change: The most famous example that can be taken in reference to colour change is the alexandrite. These gems and stones appear very different in incandescent light compared to natural day light. This is largely due to the gems chemical com-position as well as strong selective absorption. The alexandrite appears green in daylight and appears red in incandescent light. The phenomenon of color change can be found in some sap-phires and tourmaline also.

Labradorescence: Labradorescence is ir idescence but is highly directional because of twinning of crystals. It is found in the gemstone called labradorite.